Jokes :)

Here’s to all physics students…

Suffering from the horrible aftermath of

P₁ + ρgy₁ + ½ρv₁² = P₂ + ρgy₂ + ½ρv₂²

^Yes.

 

But no worries guys, here’s some jokes to cheer ya up. Eheheheh.

DUN DUN DUNNNNN.

Joke Numba 1:

When a third grader was asked to cite Newton’s first law, she said, “Bodies in motion remain in motion, and bodies at rest stay in bed unless their mothers call them to get up.”

*Newton’s first law: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

 

Joke Numba 2:

Q: Where does bad light end up?

A: In a prism.

*’Prism’ sounds like ‘prison’. A prism is used to separate white light into colours.

 

Joke Numba 3:

Physics quote of the day: Anything that doesn’t matter has no mass.

*Matter is a physics term meaning stuff or substance.

 

 

 See? Physics aren’t so bad after all. Yay.

 

Websites:

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-1/Newton-s-First-Law

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/uncer.html

http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/jokes/physicsjokes.html

All memes are made by me 🙂

-Claire Hsieh (3P)

 

Book Review: The five people you meet in heaven.

The Five People you meet in heaven, a beautiful touching novel written by Mitch Albom. This book follows the life of a man named Eddie, who works at an amusement park as a maintenance man. After his heroic attempt to save a little girl from an incident, he passes away. From there on, we follow him to meet the five people that have been waiting for him.

It is a heart-warming story about life after death, where Eddie reunites with his beloved, meets people whom he has never met and learns more about his past, and yes, just as the title suggests, he meets five very important people that changes his life in many different ways.

Throughout it all, it was a really good book, the feelings of Eddie were transmitted very well, one could say that you were taking off his skin and walking around in it. There were times when I shed a few tears, times when I laughed out with joy. I enjoyed reading it very much. Truth said, every story must come to an end, may it be a happy one or a sad one. The ending to this book really depends on ones view of things, it was a neutral ending where Eddie learnt his true self and got wh at he desired, while the people down on Earth grieved for his death, a beautiful novel that truly deserves praise. For those people who love books, do check out some of Mitch Albom’s other books. I recommend The First Phone Call From Heaven. Take your time and have fun reading!

-Guan Xin Stephanie (2P)

Book Review: THE DIVERGENT SERIES

Imagine a world in which we are all divided according to our many different personalities. Do you think it would be possible? Of course not! Everyone has a mix of personalities and will never be able to fit into one single type of personality. Veronica Roth, however, created a world just like that, in the Divergent series!

The backdrop of the whole series revolves around a ruined Chicago in the near future, which is a city with its residents divided into five different factions based on their personalities. They are Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the kind, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave and Erudite for the intelligent. This removes the threat of anyone acting independently and re-threatening the population’s safety. Everyone takes an aptitude test at the age of sixteen, and choose their factions at the Choosing Ceremony the very next day. They will then have to pass the initiation of their particular faction or be deemed factionless, a group which lives in poverty. Beatrice Prior, the daughter of Abnegation leader Andrew Prior, is tested with equal aptitude for three different factions, Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless, classifying her as “Divergent” and she is warned never to share this information with anyone at all for fear of her life, as the ruthless leader of Erudite hunts down and kills Divergents. She eventually chooses Dauntless under a new name, Tris, and faces many trials and hardships, and also a romantic relationship with her instructor Four. However, a crisis unknown to her had been brewing for quite some time. Racing against time, fear of her life and the lives of those around her, and tough emotional struggles, she must find out what is really happening both inside and outside of the city, think and execute means to save her family and friends from all the chaos, and make traumatizing decisions that she has to cope with for the rest of her life.

One flaw that I felt would be the writing style in the third book, Allegiant, which is written from both Tris’ and Four’s perspective; I felt that it was confusing to switch between the two roles. Despite that, I personally liked the book series a lot as the story was unconventional and refreshing, and the faction quizzes were fun as they enabled you to know which factions you would fit in! The books were also written at a reasonable pace so that readers would not feel that the story is too rushed or too draggy. I was hooked onto the first book, Divergent, in just the first few pages, and Insurgent was equally exciting. I particularly liked the detailed descriptions of Tris’ inner thoughts and feelings, and would highly recommend the series to anyone who likes reading about dystopian worlds!

The three main books of the series are Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant (in chronological order). Other books include the prequel to the series, Four: A Divergent Collection (which consists of five short stories from Four’s perspective), and The World of Divergent: The Path to Allegiant (a companion book to the Divergent trilogy). All the books are written by American author Veronica Roth; I found it impressive that despite Divergent being her debut novel, it was still extremely popular with readers all around the globe, with many fans even creating their own faction quizzes! You may want to search for some and try them for yourselves!

-Daphne Yow (4T)

Opinion on Cleanliness

An article titled ‘5 million people, 70 000 cleaners… that’s ridiculous!’ published in The Straits Times on February 14, 2015 caught my attention. It mentioned that cleanliness is a significant issue in Singapore as it is not only crucial to maintain the environmental and physical state of our home; it also reflects how others view the responsibility of Singaporeans in general.

However, the article begged to differ. The interviewee, Liak Teng Lit, who is the group chief executive of Alexandra Health System, was extremely disappointed with the way Singaporeans have a ‘heck-care’ attitude towards cleanliness in the streets of Singapore, where he even went so far as to ridicule how we have an army of cleaners cleaning up after us.

This made me realise that what Mr Liak had said was indeed very true and apparent here in Singapore. I was also ashamed of Singaporeans’ nonchalant actions such as not bothering to throw pieces of tissue in the near-by dustbins and deciding to ‘casually’ leave them on public grounds. Even I myself have to admit that even if I have spotted someone littering, I did not gather up the courage to tell him to pick his litter up. As such, we must now take action to prevent this ‘disease’ from escalating into a worse state that could not be reversed.

Firstly, to tackle this problem, the main cause of it needs to be found. In other words, education. Similar to Mr Liak’s response, who feels that parents are at fault for this state of affairs, education of Singaporeans is something that is necessary in order to increase our awareness of the physical environments around us. The young need to learn to clean up after themselves wherever they go and to maintain the place in a neat state so the next user is able to utilise it. For example, some Singaporeans leave the toilet seats in the cubicles in an utter mess after using it, always thinking that ‘the cleaning aunties will clean mah’. However, this irresponsible behaviour not only gives inconvenience to the next user, it is also unhygienic and disgusting. Therefore, our way of thinking needs to change for the better to not depend on others to clean up after us.

Next, as Mr Liak himself has also suggested, we have to bring down the number of cleaners in Singapore. As a first-world country, we have to stop depending on the army of cleaners. It seems ironic that as citizens living in a rich city who are able to carry out international business meetings, shop in high-end malls with enormous bags of H&M clothes in one hand and a Starbucks cappuccino in another, we are unable to clean up after themselves. Even worse, we need an army of cleaners to clean up after our mess. Isn’t it embarrassing? It will not be long before foreigners start distinguishing Singapore not as a clean city, but a cleaned city.

Lastly, with the aid of campaigns and movements, Singaporeans will be able to get rid of this societal ‘disease’. One example is the tray return campaign initiated by the National Environment Agency in 2013. The campaign encourages customers to return their trays after meals in public dining areas such as the hawker centres or fast food restaurants. However, this campaign was met with some resistance with a Facebook page named ‘Say NO to Tray Return Singapore’. This very fact thus reflects the attitude of some Singaporeans. If we even avoid our mistakes by rejecting campaigns which are created for our own good, how can we even improve as a society? How then, can we change our mind-sets by thinking that having cleaners clearing up our mess is alright?

We don’t! By being close-minded and refusing to amend our bad habits, as a society, we will never be able to raise our standards and be among those countries that prioritise cleanliness such as Taiwan and Japan. Therefore, it is really up to us to face this societal ‘disease’ and to overcome it.

-Claire Hsieh

Music Favourites

There are probably mobs of people around you that have athelophobia- the fear of never being good enough. We patch on heaps of concealer to hide our flaws and don the most fashionable outfits, but is that really who we want to be? The Japanese say we have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are. Although I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, many of us can’t fault the fact that we lead double lives, and we don’t show the people around us who we are deep down.

Songs that truly relate to us are a rare gem nowadays, and Try by Colbie Caillat is a beautiful song through and through. It is genuine, real and relatable, and definitely inspires teenagers around the world to believe in who they were made out to be. “[‘Try’] is about how us women feel like we need to change ourselves in so many different ways for people to accept us and like us,” Colbie Caillat once mentioned. “As much as we all hate that we allow that to happen, we still do it. Every day we wake up and change the way we look just so that we feel better about ourselves. Me and Kenny [Babyface] and Jason [Reeves], we were talking about that. We wanted a song that was honest and vulnerable.”

My favourite verse in the song is

This song really speaks up for those who are struggling with insecurities and low self-esteem. It is a pure and meaningful song which starkly contrasts with “supposedly catchy” songs nowadays. If asked to list my favourite songs, Try will definitely be on the list and I believe it will stay in the hearts of many for longer than we think.

Take your make-up off
Let your hair down
Take a breath
Look into the mirror, at yourself
Don’t you like you?
‘Cause I like you

Nicolette Kum 2 Unity

People: Laurentia Tan

Laurentia developed celebral palsy and profound deafness after birth, and moved to the United Kingdom with her parents at the age of three. She took up horse riding at age of five as a form of physiotherapy to strengthen her back and her muscles and to build her confidence and self-esteem.

Today, Laurentia is one of Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, having won two bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, and a silver and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games.

Laurentia Tan is a very admirable woman with a very strong passion for horse riding. I feel that she is a role model to us all and that we should all strive to excel in our studies like how she has excelled in horse riding. Despite her handicap, Laurentia Tan also excelled in her studies, completing her A-levels at the Mary Hare Grammar School, a residential special school for the deaf, and graduating with an honours degree from Oxford Brookes University in hospitality management and tourism. I think that she is a very remarkable person and the success she has achieved is truly an amazing feat. We should all learn from her and stay optimistic and positive when there are ups and downs in life.

Laura Zheng (2L)

Book Review- The Book Thief

The author of this book is Mr Markus Zusak. The story is set in Germany in the years 1939-1943, at the start of World War Two, this story narrates the story of Liesel, an orphan who never knew her father. Her mother, who couldn’t afford to take care of her, disappears after delivering her to her new foster parents.

Her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Herbermann, are poor Germans who were given a small allowance to take her in. Hans, her new Papa, a tall, quiet man with silver eyes, is a painter who also plays the accordion as a hobby. He teaches Liesel how to read and write while Rosa, her new Mama, does the laundry for the rich people in the town.

Her younger brother dies on the train when Liesel’s birth mother is taking them to their foster parents. Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left lying in the snow by her brother’s grave. Haunted every night by nightmares of her brother’s death, Liesel and her Papa set themselves the challenge of reading The Gravedigger’s Handbook, Liesel’s last link to her brother.

Adjusting to her new life is not easy and Liesel makes many new friends and learns more knowledge. Then, when Hans is taken away to serve in the war, Liesel and Rosa are left to fend for themselves. But, after he has injured his leg, he returns home to be united with his family. A while after Hans returns, bombs are dropped on to Liesel’s town and Liesel is the only survivor other than Buergmeister and Ilsa Hermann. (the mayor and his wife)  IIsa then lets Liesel live with them, despite knowing that Liesel steals books from her library and Liesel has found a new home.

I find this story very touching as it is a story about friendship, family, love and overcoming hardships. I also feel that IIsa is a very kind and caring person as she allows Liesel to live together with her despite knowing that she steals the books from her library to read. Mr Zusak has truly outdone himself by writing such a remarkable story. However, as it is a rather serious story about war, I would only recommend it to anyone aged 13 and upwards, as it may not be fully understood by the younger children.

Laura Zheng

2 Loyalty

Headlines

How many of you take notice of the gap between the train and the platform every time you board or leave the train? How many of you  think that it is impossible to fall into it? It might seem harmless but after you read this article, you will realise that you need to be mindful of the gap every single time you cross it.

On the 11^th March 2015, the people taking the Northeast line experienced a delay in service due to an unfortunate incident where a teenage girl in a beige uniform, slipped and whose leg was trapped in a 10cm gap between the train and platform at Hougang MRT station at around 7.50am. She was sitting on the platform of the train station, with her left leg in the gap.  The teen was dislodged by members of the public and was freed before the ambulance and fire engine arrived. She was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Another witness said that the teen did not seem to be badly injured but had bruises on her legs. The train was held back at the station due to this incident.
You might ask why must there be a gap? If there wasn’t a gap, then accidents would not have occurred. The 10cm gap is necessary to accommodate the movement of a train as it approaches. Without it, the train may come into contact with the edge of the platform. So, doesn’t that mean that as the users of the MRT, we should be the ones to look out for our own safety because when something happens, it will not only affect us, but it would also affect others badly? Although this might be an accident, now you know it is actually possible to fall into a gap like this. It might not happen to you now, but when it does, you might regret and wonder why you had not looked out for it in the first place. Hopefully now you will start to take notice of the gap whenever you board the train and look out for your own safety wherever you go.

-Renee Ong

Ebola

Ebola virus disease or simply Ebola is a disease of humans and other primates caused by Ebola viruses. Signs and symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches followed by vomiting, diarrhea and decreased function of the liver and kidneys. At this time some people begin to bleed both internally and externally.

The disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25 and 90 percent of those infected with an average of about 50 percent. The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa. There were a small number of cases reported in Nigeria and a single case reported in Senegal; however, these cases were contained, with no further spread in these countries.

The world’s biggest and deadliest Ebola outbreak began with a 2-year-old boy in a village in Guinea — near the West African country’s borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia — a team of researchers reported. The boy died of unidentified causes on 6 December, followed a week later by his mother, then 3-year-old sister, then grandmother. Mourners at the grandmother’s funeral brought the virus to other villages.

Though no one can be sure who or what causes Ebola, we can do our part to prevent it. We can practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids. We cannot handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids.  Avoiding funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola, contact with bats and nonhuman primates and facilities in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated will help prevent Ebola.

Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/prevention/

http://theweek.com/speedreads/448402/ebola-outbreak-apparently-started-2yearold-rural-guinea/

-Vernice Chong (1 Purity)

Jokes

1)Want to hear a dirty joke?

A kid jumped into a mud puddle.

Want to hear a clean joke?

A kid jumped into the bath.

2) Today I gave my dead batteries away….free of charge.

3) I’m going to stand outside. So if anyone asks, I am outstanding.

4) Change is hard. Have you ever tried to bend a coin?

5) I can’t believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.

6) Q: What did one hat say to another?

A: “You stay here, I’ll go on a head!”

7) Q: What kind of horses go out after dusk?

A: Nightmares!

8) Q: What four letters will frighten a burglar?

A: O I C U

9) Music Teacher: What’s your favourite musical instrument?

Fat Kid: The lunch bell

10) Two atoms were walking down the street together. The first atom turns and says,” Hey, you just stole an electron from me!” “Are you sure?” asks the second atom. To which, the first atom replied, “Yeah, I’m positive!”

Germaine Lee (2 Truth)